The next day, there was a knock on the door in the morning. I was already up and working, for some reason particularly inspired. I got up to answer the door, my face breaking into a smile when I saw Lucas, though I was still embarrassed about the night before. I tried not to think about it.

Lucas had an almost bashful look on his face. He was holding onto Luna, who was looking at me with a big grin on her face. He put her down and she ran into my apartment.

“Luna, no—”

“It’s fine. When are you going to be back?”

He sighed. “Probably around dinner,” he said. “I’m working as an extra in a movie and it’ll take about a week.”

“That’s fine,” I told him. “I can write with her here.”

“Thank you so much,” he said, letting out a breath. “Really, Ellie.”

“No problem,” I said to him, watching as he went back to his apartment. “Good luck.”

He thanked me then, giving me a look that was heavy with meaning, though I wasn’t sure what it was. It made a shiver run down my spine as I went back inside, finding Luna in my bedroom where she was trying to build a fort.

I watched Luna for the rest of the week. Each morning, Lucas dropped her off with a smile and an embarrassed apology. I tried to assure him that I didn’t mind. I liked having Luna, who seemed like she was always smiling. She was bright and cheerful, and when I wasn’t writing I was happy to spend time playing with her while we waited for her dad to return.

One night, Luna fell asleep before Lucas got out of work. I had about an hour, and an idea passed through my head I couldn’t seem to get rid of. It was risky—there was always a chance that Lucas would say no, but for some reason I wanted to do it. I set about getting ready, setting the small table up on the patio where there was a beautiful view of the small pond in our apartment complex. I cooked something quick and simple. I felt nervous, butterflies in my stomach, and almost jumped when Lucas knocked on the front door. I answered it with my apron on, and he glanced over my body with a smile on his face, dragging his teeth over his bottom lip.

“Hi,” he said. “Where’s Luna?”

“She’s in my room asleep,” I told him, gesturing for him to come into the house. “Do you want to stay for dinner?”

He looked over at me. “Yes,” he said. “I do.”

“I set up the table outside. I hope you don’t mind.”

He looked out on the patio at what I’d done. The flickering of the candles I’d set around the balcony lit it up in a dim, soft light.

“Perfect,” he said. “It’s beautiful.”

I bit my lip, smiling at the compliment. He helped me carry the food out and we sat on the patio. It was beautiful outside—warm with a gentle cool breeze that felt good paired with the warmth the wine was filling me with.

“Tell me all about you, Ellie,” he said.

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything,” he told me, taking a sip of his wine. “Start at the beginning.”

I laughed. “The very beginning?”

“Where were you born?”

“Georgia,” I told him. “Small town.”

“Country girl,” he said, his eyes playful on mine. “I bet you grew up climbing trees and riding horses.”

“And milking cows,” I said, nodding.

“You don’t have an accent.”

“It comes out sometimes. When I’m angry.”

“I can’t say I want to see you angry,” he said. “But I’d like to hear that accent. I want to meet this country girl. I have a feeling she’s a little wild.”

“What gives you that idea?” I asked him, knowing we were beyond the line of polite conversation now. His voice was filled with suggestion, his eyes half-lidded as he drank me in.

“Something in your eyes,” he said in a soft voice. “Something that tells me you used to ride hard and fast.”

I squirmed in my chair, finding it a little hard to breathe.

“I think I could pick it up again,” I said, my words coming out freely due to how I was slightly tipsy in addition to my fierce arousal.

“You might need some practice,” he said.

“It might take me a few hours to get it down.”

I saw him take a deep breath. His eyes were burning into mine. “I’m not sure a few hours would be long enough. It’s been a long time, right? Might take you days.”

“You might be right,” I said.

He stared at me for a long moment. “Why couldn’t I have found you years ago, Ellie?”

I was surprised at his question, so surprised I could only stare. I saw in his eyes that he was surprised, too, that the words had come out automatically without him even thinking about them.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have—”

“It’s okay,” I told him. I paused for a moment. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Anything.”

“Where’s Luna’s mother? Are you—are you with her?”

“We’re married,” he said, and I felt my heart sink.

“But separated,” he added quickly. “She wants nothing to do with Luna. I can’t have her around.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, sensing his anger. He was gritting his teeth, looking out over the pond. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

He looked back at me, took my hand and flipped it over so he could stroke my palm with his fingertips. “Don’t be sorry.”

“Okay,” I told him. If I was honest with myself, I really didn’t care that he was in the middle of a divorce. It felt like magic between us, something I’d never felt before. I was willing to overlook the baggage just to be close to him.

“Do you want to watch a movie?” I asked him.

He nodded so we got up from dinner and went into the living room. I sat down on the couch and he sat right next to me, our bodies touching. I looked at him and he was staring at my lips, so close to kissing me that I could feel his breath against me. I pulled my face away, suddenly afraid of going that far with him. I couldn’t get that intimate with a man. Still, I found myself cuddling up against him once we were watching the movie. I fell asleep on his lap halfway through, more comfortable than I’d been in a long time.